US expected to become net exporter of natural gas this year – EIA

The US is expected to export more natural gas than it imports in 2017, according to the August Short-Term Energy Outlook of the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

“The United States has been a net exporter for three of the past four months and is expected to continue to export more natural gas than it imports for the rest of 2017 and throughout 2018,” said EIA. “The US’ status as a net exporter is expected to continue past 2018 because of growing US natural gas exports to Mexico, declining pipeline imports from Canada, and increasing exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG).”

EIA expects exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the country to increase.

“US liquefaction capacity continues to expand as five new projects currently under construction come online in the next three years, increasing total US liquefaction capacity from 1.4 billion cubic feet per day at the end of 2016 to 9.5 billion cubic feet per day by the end of 2019,” said the report.

Based on construction plans, EIA expects that by 2020 the United States will have the third-largest LNG export capacity in the world after Australia and Qatar.

The United States is currently the world's largest natural gas producer, having surpassed Russia in 2009. Natural gas production in the United States increased from 55 billion cubic feet per day in 2008 to 72.5 billion cubic feet in 2016.